AP U.S. History Supreme Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison (1803, Marshall). The court established its role as
the arbiter of the constitutionality of federal laws, the principle is known
as judicial review

Fletcher v. Peck (1810, Marshall). The decision stems from the Yazoo
land cases, 1803, and upholds the sanctity of contracts.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819, Marshall). The Court ruled that states
cannot tax the federal government, i.e. the Bank of the United States; the
phrase "the power to tax is the power to destroy"; confirmed the
constitutionality of the Bank of the United States.

Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819, Marshall). New Hampshire had
attempted to take over Dartmouth College by revising its colonial charter. The
Court ruled that the charter was protected under the contract clause of the U.
S. Constitution; upholds the sanctity of contracts.

Johnson v. McIntosh (1823, Marshall). Established that Indian tribes had
rights to tribal lands that preceded all other American law; only the federal
government could take land from the tribes.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831, Marshall). "The conditions of the
Indians in relation to the United States is perhaps unlike that of any two
people in existence," Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, "their
relation to the United States resembles that of a ward to his guardian. . .(they
were a) domestic dependent nation." Established a "trust
relationship" with the tribes directly under federal authority.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832, Marshall). Established tribal autonomy
within their boundaries, i.e. the tribes were "distinct political
communities, having territorial boundaries within which their authority is
exclusive."

Charles River Bridge v. Warren Bridge (1837, Taney). The interests of
the community are more important than the interests of business; the supremacy
of society’s interest over private interest.

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842). Declared that labor unions were lawful
organizations and that the strike was a lawful weapon.

Scott v. Sanford (1857, Taney). Speaking for a widely divided court,
Chief Justice Taney ruled that Dred Scott was not a citizen and had no standing
in court; Scott’s residence in a free state and territory had not made him
free since he returned to Missouri; Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in
a territory (based on the 5th Amendment right of a person to be secure from
seizure of property), thus voiding the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Ex parte Milligan (1866). Ruled that a civilian cannot be tried in
military courts while civil courts are available.

Civil Rights Cases of 1883. (A single decision on a group of cases with
similar legal problems). Legalized segregation with regard to private property.

"Insular Cases" / Downes v. Bidwell (1901). Confirmed the
right of the federal government to place tariffs on good entering the U. S.
From U. S. Territories on the grounds that "the Constitution does not
follow the flag."

Northern Securities Co. v. U. S. (1904). Re-established the authority of
the federal government to fight monopolies under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

Lochner v. New York (1905). Declared unconstitutional a New York act
limiting the working hours of bakers due to a denial of the 14th Amendment
rights.

Muller v. Oregon (1908). First case to use the "Brandeis
brief"; recognized a 10-hour work day for women laundry workers on the
grounds of health and community concerns.

Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918). Declared the Keating-Owen Act (a child labor
act) unconstitutional on the grounds that it was an invasion of state authority.

Schenck v. U. S. (1919). Unanimously upheld the Espionage Act of 1917
which declared that people who interfered with the war effort were subject to
imprisonment; declared that the 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech was not
absolute; free speech could be limited if its exercise presented a "clear
and present danger."

Adkins v. Children’s Hospital (1923). Declared unconstitutional a
minimum wage law for women on the grounds that it denied women freedom of
contract.

Schechter v. U. S. (1936). Sometimes called "the sick chicken
case." Unanimously declared the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)
unconstitutional on three grounds: that the act delegated legislative power to
the executive; that there was a lack of constitutional authority for such
legislation; and that it sought to regulate businesses that were wholly
intrastate in character.

Korematsu v. U. S. (1941). The court upheld the constitutionality of
detention camps for Japanese-Americans during World War 2.

Ex parte Endo (1944). The court forbade the internment of
Japanese-Americans born in the U. S. (Nisei)

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963). Extends to the defendant the right of
counsel in all state and federal criminal trials regardless of their ability to
pay.

Escobedo v. Illinois (1964). Ruled that a defendant must be allowed
access to a lawyer before questioning by police.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966). The court ruled that those subjected to
in-custody interrogation be advised of their constitutional right to an attorney
and their right to remain silent.

Roe v. Wade (1973). The court legalized abortion by ruling that state
laws could not restrict it during the first three months of pregnancy. Based on
4th Amendment rights of a person to be secure in their persons.

Bakke v. Regents of the University of California (1978). Ambiguous
ruling by a badly divided court that dealt with affirmative action programs that
used race as a basis of selecting participants. The court general upheld
affirmative action, but with a 4/4/1 split, it was a very weak decision.

Clinton v. Jones (1997). Rejecting an appeal by Pres. Clinton in a
sexual harassment suit, the Court ruled that a sitting president did not have
temporary immunity from a lawsuit for actions outside the realm of official
duties.

Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000). The Court ruled that the Boy
Scouts of America could dismiss a troop leader after learning he was gay,
holding that the right to freedom of association outweighed a New Jersey anti
- discrimination statute.

Bush v. Gore (2000). The court ruled that manual recounts of
presidential ballots in the Nov. 2000 election could not proceed because
inconsistent evaluation standards in different counties violated the equal
protection clause. In effect, the ruling meant Bush would win the election.

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